Ashes
by SirenJunkie
Summary: Post season 4. Lucifer swore he would never return to Hell. However, when he fell in love with Chloe Decker, he realized he would do anything to protect her- including returning to Hell. Because he knows that there are worse things in Hell than demons, and they needed to stay there.


**Chapter 1- Gone Where I Can't Follow**

_Chloe was standing on the balcony in tears, begging. Almost praying- anything to get him to stay. "You see, we were wrong about something else in the prophecy." Lucifer said softly, taking a step forward. "My first love was never Eve. It was you, Chloe." He brings a hand gently to her cheek, wiping away hot tears. It always has been." Suddenly, his lips were on hers, and it was everything they had both wanted for so long. In the next instant, they're ripped away. Chloe is standing on the edge of a dark abyss, filled with floating ash. Lucifer is falling, and she is screaming, screaming at him to spread his wings and fly. Why won't he fly!?_

Her alarm shrill on her bedside table, Chloe Decker sat up suddenly in bed, gasping for air. _Just a dream_. She thought to herself. _No, a nightmare. My own personal hell loop. _She wiped away the real tears from her eyes, and the remnants of her fitful night's sleep. She clicked off her alarm, and hoped that it had not woken Trixie. She took a moment to gently close her hand around her necklace, a bullet hanging from a silver chain around her neck. She gave herself a moment to think about him. Lucifer, her partner, and her love. In hell, forever. She wanted to be angry, she wanted to be selfish and to have him back with her. She knew it was impossible- Hell needed a King- but she just couldn't picture the rest of her life without him in it.

Her phone buzzed, this time from an incoming message. As she picked it up, she saw it was from work- a body had been discovered. She slipped on her robe to go downstairs, get a coffee and wake Trixie. Her first case without her partner was upon her. Outside of her window, it was pouring- odd for Los Angeles this time of year. She couldn't help but think the rest of the world was mourning her loss with her.

* * *

Lucifer walked amongst the tall pillars of dark stone, the constant ash drifting around him. Screams and rattling chains could be heard echoing down the dark corridors as he walked, pausing only to glance inside, checking for demons. He wasn't sure how long he'd been back in hell- time moved differently here. However, he'd spent his time so far checking in to make sure all his loyal subjects had returned to Hell as per his command. He couldn't stand the thought of any of them being left on Earth, endangering Chloe or any of the others. Chloe- just the thought of her made his chest tighten. He resisted the urge for the millionth time to just spread his angelic wings and fly back to her, even just to see her for a moment.

Putting the thought aside, he continued his walk through hell. He was fairly certain he'd checked on all the demons of hell- all but one. The most dangerous one of all. He'd finally found the courage and was following the maze of corridors to a dark stairway known only to the Lord of Hell and his most loyal followers. He paused a moment to adjust his cufflinks and he carefully stepped down, even though he could see quite well through the darkness. No room for missed steps here, he had to be on his guard.

He finally came to the bottom of the stairs, regarding the large black door laden with the heaviest, oldest chains in Hell. Hunched near the door, head cocked as if listening to something far away, was a demon. The creature was hideous, reptilian in nature with glowing red eyes.

"Dramos." Lucifer barked at the demon. It's head snapped to attention and observed him with it's burning eyes. "I trust you've been diligently at your post since you've returned from your little vacation?"

"My King." It replied in a snivelling voice. "You still wear the form of a puny human. If you're here to torture the forsaken one, you should show her your full glory." The small demon appeared excited at the prospect of observing Lucifer in his Lord of Hell form.

"You're lucky I haven't snapped your pathetic neck, Dramos." Lucifer said quietly, his tone dangerous. "Or better yet, fed you to her." The demon cowered at the threat.

"Apologies my lord. I will faithfully serve you, as I have for all these millenia. I will be your most trusted torturer and prison guard of the most damned." Dramos made himself even smaller, cringing at Lucifer's rage.

"We shall see, Dramos. Hand me the key. I wish to speak with her." Lucifer extended his hand expectantly.

"As you wish, my King." Dramos waved a hooked, mangled hand through the air, opening a black void in the air near his chest. His hand disappeared momentarily into the void, and returned a second later holding a dark key, made of razor sharp black stone.

Lucifer took the key and stepped around the pathetic demon, sneering as he walked past. He slipped the key into the ancient padlock and turned it. The ancient chains groaned as they slid to the floor, as if alive. He pulled open the door and prepared to walk through.

Behind his back, he did not notice Dramos, whose look of deference to his master, now was replaced with hatred. Dramos hoped that the cowardly, all too human Lucifer- a mere shadow of the former King of Hell- would be the one who was eaten instead.

* * *

Lucifer's eyes quickly adjusted to the even darker cell. An oddity in Hell, the resident of this room was not tortured. She was to sit in darkness for all eternity, alone and ignored. She was too dangerous to be around, even for the demons.

Lucifer observed her, standing motionless in the corner, her gaze turned ever upwards. She was stunningly beautiful in a way- impossibly golden hair, perfect skin, and a figure as if molded by a great sculptor. She would be perfect, if not for her eyes- eyes that were clouded white, unseeing, and dead, despite the fact she stared so intently at the ceiling of her cell.

"Hello Samael." Her voice, though barely a hoarse whisper, seemed to clamour in his ears, the ancient power in it chilled him to his core, and left an acidic taste in his mouth somehow. "Have you decided to take me up on my offer I made all those millenia ago? Are you ready to have me as your Queen? To rule over the army of demons I created for you?" Her crimson lips curled into an evil smile.

Lucifer wanted so badly to look away from those eyes, but kept her gaze so as not to betray any weakness. Despite her blindness, he knew she could somehow tell if he looked away. "No, Lilith." He said carefully. "I don't wish to rule Hell with you at my side." He barely suppressed the urge to shudder at the thought. "I came only to check that you were still here."

"Where else would I go, Brightly Shining One?" She chuckled, knowing the names she called him made him uncomfortable. She inched closer, shuffling across the stone floor, and sniffed the air carefully. "Although it seems you've been away. You reek of humanity." Her beautiful features twisted in disgust. "Is that why you chose to appear to me looking like one of them?"

Lucifer swallowed, trying to hide his discomfort. He shouldn't have come here, not when he could no longer show his devil face. There was no way he could let the Mother of Demons know this. "Perhaps, I come in this form because I know how much you hate them." He said mockingly.

Her face became somehow darker, and she cocked her head slightly. "I know that smell. Not only humanity, but her." She practically spat the words. "You've seen Eve. The insignificant worm who could have ruled the Earth and humanity." Her hands balled tightly into fists at her sides. "What a wasted opportunity. If Adam hadn't set me aside, I could have ruled the Earth! Instead he picks a weak, feeble minded whore to play mother to a pathetic race of humans." She came even closer, staring hungrily. "How is it that she lives after all this time?"

"You needn't worry about Eve, or any other human. You're not leaving here, and you're certainly not joining me on the throne of Hell." He said carefully. It was more than high time to leave this cell. He didn't need her to glean any more information about what he'd been up to. "Goodbye, Lilith."

The air seemed fresher beyond the door of her cell, even for Hell. He took a deep careful breath, and waved his hand in front of the chains, returning them to their rightful position across the door. He closed the lock, and tugged on it for good measure.

"I stand guard over her, as always, my King." Dramos said quietly.

Lucifer said nothing, and opened the void to replace the key. He turned and went back up the stairs, ignoring Dramos completely as he passed.

Dramos glared at Lucifer's retreating back. He no longer wanted to serve Lucifer. The King of Hell was not the same. He was pitiful, and diminished by his love of that human woman. The Detective.

When the demon was certain Lucifer was gone, he once again waved his gnarled hand and retrieved the black key. He unlocked the lock, and watched the chains fall to the ground again. Very carefully, he pulled open the door, ever so slightly. He was terrified, but was hoping his gamble of talking to her would pay off.

"Well this is a surprise, my son." Came the voice from within.

"Yes, Mother." Dramos replied. "I have come to tell you, I have a plan."


End file.
